Has anyone in Japan made a movie about the second World War? I'm especially interested in a war movie from the Japanese military point of view such as "Das Boot". Is Japan's role in World War II still to tender a subject for filmmakers there to deal with?

The only Japanese movie I can think of is the anime classic "The Grave of the Fireflies", which has been recently released on a wonderful 2-disc Special Edition DVD. It's without a doubt one of the great anti-war movies of all time. The story is about two Japanese children - a fourteen year-old boy and a five year-old girl - who must try to fend for themselves after their mother is killed in the American fire-bombing of Kobe. Food is scarce and the people are desparate and in no mood to share what little they have with a couple of orphans. It's truly heartbreaking.

[i]The Grave of the Fireflies[/i] is indeed a masterpiece. I recently shared the dubbed version with my ten-year old who was enthralled and deeply moved. I recommend those who've already seen it a few times to seek out Mamoru Shinzaki's HADASHI NO GEN from 1983. Again this is WW II from a Japanese's child point of view, but it deals more specifically with the nuclear Holocaust in Hiroshima and attitudes towards the Japanese government's policies. Widely available on Image dvd.

Keisuke Kinoshita is a victim of neglect in the West. The director of [i]Ballad of Narayama[/i] directed a wonderful film about post-war Japan called NIHON NO HIGEKI. It's now available on Panorama NTSC region 0 dvd under the title [i]Tragedy of Japan[/i]. I recommend it.